Door latch



L. C. AND F. S. EMERSON.

nooR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCTl 23,1920. 1 9107;395, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

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:LOEN'DER C. EMERSON .ANDY FRED S. EMERSON, 0F LOS A.TN'(ErlELl'iES,` CALIFORNIA.-

Y noon LATCHQ Specification of LettersPatent. 11313911139@ Feb, 1922,

Application led October 23, 1920.y Serial No. 418,936.

f' have jointly invented lnew and useful Improvements in Door Latches, of which the following yisv a specification.

This invention basto-do with a door latch andy it is an object of the invention to provide an extremely simple, ,effective and'easily operated device of this character.

TheV nature ofA the present invention is such as to renderv it applicable to various classesV and forms of doors, and the like,

" although it is possibly best ladapted for use on screen doors, garage doors, etc., or on doors, and the like, which are of comparatively light construction. The invention provides Vvan extremely simple and `inexpensive latch which can be operated from either side of the door and which will automatically catch when fthe door is closed.

An important and distinctivejfeature of the inventionV is the general construction of the various parts andV portions of the latch.

This feature is important in that itrenders the latchV simple in operation, inexpensive in construction, sightly and durable.

The various objects of the invention will bebestand more fully understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention throughout which reference is had to the accompanying drawings in whichs Fig. 1 is' a transverse 4sectional view through atypical door and casing equipped with the latchprovided by the present invention;` Fig. 2 is anenlarged longitudinal sectional view through the latch showing it locked from both sides Vof the door; Fig. 3 is a face view of the outer side of the latch beingV a view taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2; andFig. 4'is a face View of the inner side of thelatch being aV view taken as indicated by line 4.4 on Fig. 2.

` `Throughout V the drawings numeral 10 designates a typical door hung in a suitable casing 11 on hinges 12. The latch mechanism 13 provided by the present invention Vis mounted at the outer edgey portion` of the plate 17 arranged at the inner-"side 1 8 of the door 10, bolts 19 arranged through nthe door 10 to connect the plates 15, and 17, and a spring inember20 adapted to` normally hold the latch mechanism in its latched posi'- tion. The latch plate-15, of the latch mechanism 13, is preferably a Hat metal plate formed with slots 21 to receive the bolts 19 and arranged to extend beyond the outer edge 22 of the door l() in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. An`

opening 24 is formed in the extended portion of plate 15 to receive and cooperate with the striking plate 14.

The striking plate 14has a base portion 25 secured to the casing 11 by suitable screws 26, Vhas a beveled side or edge 28, and is formed with a notch 29 adjacent to the base 25. The striking plate 14 `is preferably formed of" sheet metal asisuch construction is particularly effective and is inexpensive The opening 24 in the latch plate 15 ismade suiliciently wide and long to freely receive the striking plate, and is located in the latch plate 1'5 so that when the plate 15 is lmoved to the position shown in Fig. 3 the door may be swung so that the projectionl27 will pass freely through :the opening 24, and` so that when the door is closed the plate 15 is in the position shown,` in Fig. 2 a part of the latch plate extends into the notch 29. The opening 24 is preferably made suiiciently wide to allow for some sagging of the door. -lt

be' easily moved tothe positions just re.-

ferred to because of the fact that the boltsA 19 which are permanently carried in bores 30 in the door y10,are carried in or extend through slots 21 in the plate 15.

The spring 2O is carried in a recess 31 formed in the door 10 under the plate 17, and is arranged to connect one of the bolts 19 and a from the latch plate 15 through a suitable slot 34 in the door 10, to normally move the plate 15 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be readily understood how the spring 20 will hold the plate 15 in the position shown in Fig. 2'so that a portion of the plate 15 will be carried in the notch 29, and how it is possible to manually Vmove the plate to the position shown in Fig. 3 so that no part of the plate is in the notch 29, thereby making it possible to swing the door open. A suitable handle pin 33,A which extends inwardly it may be conveniently moved or manipulated. It will be particularly-noted from inspection otFig. 2iof the drawings thatl the' plate `15 is not moved so that'the ends 36 of the slots 21 are in engagement with the thenotch29. This construction allows for shrinkage of the door and assures proper seating of the plate in the notch 29 and prevents looseness in the connection between the` plate 15` and striking plate 14.

'Whenth'e doorjlO is 1n an open position the spring movesthe plate V15 in thefdirecti'onif indicated by the arrows inFigs.'

2' andf until the ends 36 of Agrooves 21 are in engagement with the bolts 19. 'It the door is then swung inwardly or to va closed positiomthe endwall 40 etv opening i closed and the plate 15 has becoI-neopposite4 24willengage and cooperate the beveled 0r wedgevlike edge 28 of the striking plate tomov'e lthe plate V15 in the direction opposite to thatv indicated by the arrowsV in Figs. 2 'and 3 until the door is completely thenotch.. 27 and has seated therein, as shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings. ln other words, the opening 24 is Vso located in the plate 15 and the striking plate 14 is so ar-` ranged that the end wall .410101I -thej opening 24 willv cooperate with thelbeveled edge 28 of the'striking plate to move the plate 15V against the action ot' spring 2O so-thatf it willfbe caughtlin fthe notch 29'. It isperlockedpfrom the outside of the door so that Afectly obvious that thedoor is firmly and securely' held closed at such times `when the plate 15 is seated in the notch 29.

In order that thelatchmay be positively v the door cannot be opened, anopeningffll is formed inthe. striking plate to receive a `padlock 42." It is obvioushow the padlock 421when' arranged inthe opening 41 positively prevents opening of the door even though the plate lcan be movedout of engagement with the notch 29.

The plate 17, at the inner side 18` of the door 10, is preferably a flat plate secured A.to the door 10 bythe bolts 19 and also by is adapted to bepositioned to engage the i pin` 33 when the mechanism is in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings The dog.A 50 when positioned to engage the pin 33 acts to positively lock the mechanism and prevent movement or manipulation of plate 154 such as would cause the plate to become disengaged or removed fromY the notch 29.

ln order that the dog 50 .may be manipulated, or actuated, from the inside of the ,door -a"pin S5-.extends from it through a suitable curved slot 56 formed in the plate v17 ln F ig. 2 of the drawings the dog 50 bolts 19 when the plate 15 is fully seatedin Vout how the present invention may` be employed vin connection with very thin doors i without rendering themunsightly and out mountinga casing orother protruding structure on either side of the door. v In a construction."provided'by the present 1nvention the only'parts which extend or pro'- trude from the door Vare those which. control the operation Yofthe mechanism.'

Having set forthfonly a preferred embodiment ot our invention'we 4do `not wish to limit or restrictourselves to the specific details hereinabove set 'forth but wish .to

reserve to ourselves any changes orI varia-` tions thaty may j appear to those skilled in the art or that mayiiall withinthe vscope of the following claims.4 y A i Having described a invention, weclaim: t

1. combination, adorhaVing a ,recess and a slot, aixed Vstrikingplate having a notch, a flat latch plate slidably mounted on. the one side' of the door and'having an opening adapted to receive the striking plate, Va stationary fiat plate mounted on the other side .o'fthedoorand formed withl a slot, a handle on the outside ofthe latch plate, a pin onY the inside of" the latch Vplate and extending through-the slot Ain the door and the l slot in the stationary" platefa spring arrangedjn the recess 1n the door and connected to the pin to normally hold the latch platein position to extend into the notch when the dooris closed, and means tor mov-- ing the latch plate so that the striking plate will be received bythe openingupon closing 2. ln combination, a door having a recess and a slot, ag fixed striking platehaving ai notch, a latch plate slidablymounted on one sideV of the door and having an opening adapted to receive the strikingV plate, a stationary plate mounted on the other side of the door and formed with two openings, a lhandle mounted on the outside of the latch plate, a pin mounted on the `inside of the latch plate and arranged through the slot in the door and through one preferred form of our hold the latch plate and a the other opening in the stationary plate.

In Witness that We claim the foregoing 15 We have hereunto subscribed our names this 16th day of October, 1920.

LOENDER C. EMERSON. FRED. S. EMERSON.

Witness VIRGINIA BERINGER. 

